


Take Me Somewhere Nice

by sweettoothdinosaur



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Healing, Not Beta Read, second chapter will have better content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 10:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweettoothdinosaur/pseuds/sweettoothdinosaur
Summary: Isabel was forced into living with her grandpa on the south coast. There, she meets a boy one evening and didn't exactly leave a good, first impression. From there, she realizes that there's a greater world than she could ever see.





	Take Me Somewhere Nice

**Author's Note:**

> blanket came from the wash n im so happy that it's still fluffy and nice, also please note that i have no idea what im doing

This was a different way to live. Different sights, different people. However, this sort of daydream wouldn’t be sweet and appealing. Instead of living the Hollywood dream, this story takes place down in the city’s scab.

At least, that’s what Isabel thought. 

Outside of the screen door, she gazed into the thick morning fog. Cold, dead air blasted into the small apartment. Sitting cross-legged, she endured the coldness spreading from head to toe. Paper scraps laid everywhere. Strips, tears, and cut-outs were pushed into a pile. Meanwhile, various jars were placed on the other side. A scratched-up board laid in front of her. The exacto knife sunk into it, wearing it away.

Her fingers often got sore from the putting so much pressure, but it was obviously a bad habit that stuck with her. Using a ruler, she carefully made sure to cut the paper with clean and sharp edges. When all of the cutting was done, she placed the blade into a safety cap. Satisfied with the amount of paper she had, her hands began to fold and crease the paper in various ways.

Today, Isabel had paper strips to work with. She folded a knot into a pentagon and folded the tail over each layer. When the paper tail ran out, her fingertips pressed into the edges. The folded pentagon popped into a star that was dropped into the tallest jar. This continued until no more paper strips remained. 

Quickly cleaning up the mess, the cold stiffness finally got to her. All she wanted now was to stay under a warm blanket or take a hot shower. But she knew that she had to be careful with the temperature. The mornings may be cold and foggy, but the city would be in a heatwave by noon. Returning the jars to her room, she went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She despised the yellow, burning bulb above her. It only made her dark hair hot and the heat annoyed her shoulders. Nonetheless, she had to accept the way things were under this roof. It was a struggle to barely live in the city. Finishing her morning routine, she picked out an outfit to face the day. The every boring day that she stayed with her grandpa during the summer.

It was her parents' idea. To send her off to the big city and gain experience from there. If "experience" meant being cooped up in your room during heatwaves, then she was definitely fulfilling her parents' hopes.

She lived in the street stores, always watching customers and other walk-ins enter. It was a place to buy sporty souvenirs and tacky fakes of swords. There wasn't any real word to describe the shop itself, but those were the only things they sold. The only thing that Isabel really did was clean up and close the store when night fell. In the daytime, she tried to find something to do.

Throwing a leg over her bike, she began to pedal through the other fenced stores. Past the foreign bar that kicked out eighteen-year-olds. Through the buzz of morning traffic, she sped to the "nicer" parts of the suburbs.  There's a huge park with bright green grass, but her eyes focused on the road.

Laughter and shouts called to her, but her head lowered. It would be nice to play in the park, but there wasn't a welcoming face in sight. Those kids lived in the suburbs all their lives and went to the same school. They knew each other and easily spotted outsiders. For now, she was known as the quiet girl that appeared from thin air.

This makes her scoff often, but she knew that it wouldn't be easy to prove herself. There wasn't a soul that could give her a chance to open up that titleless book. In result, she rode her bike up and down the fruity street names and past every worn-down store. Sometimes, she's tempted to go somewhere with more entertainment but found it to be a waste of time. Especially when groups of girls strutted out with pretty drinks with colorful straws. Or when the overly-dressed boys were laughing as loud as hyenas.

It wouldn't be that great to take a trip to the ice cream boba shops or that huge mall. She barely had the money to spend. Instead, she was spending her summer time to a complete waste.

All day, she would pedal through the streets. Occasionally taking a break near the mini-mart or gas station. After that, she would be biking into the sunlight again. It may have left her hair with a burning touch, but the sunshine gave her the energy to continue. All of the buzz and vibrancy from the busy streets gave her some sort of hope. By the time the sun glowed gold, she would go back to where she came from.

Back at her home, she walked in to grab something to eat. Then, she would take away the night shift and close the store. Just as she was washing her dish with lukewarm water, footsteps came from the nearby bedroom. Holding her breath, she began to rush to avoid any social interaction. It wasn't even social interaction to begin with. Her grandpa would talk so much that she didn't have a chance to speak.

Sometimes, it's lectures. Other times, it would be ridiculous rants that made her eyes roll. On good days, someone else would be in the house and her grandfather could have a conversation with them instead. Except now. 

"Your mother has called," Her grandpa spoke up. "She wanted to know how you're doing here."

Isabel closed her eyes, exhaling. "Tell her that everything's good here."

"Nothing can ever be _'good'_ in life. You know that, Isabel." He responded as he shoved his hand through the dishrack. "There's so much more bad things out there than good."

"What do you expect me to tell her, then?" The granddaughter pushed the knob abruptly, turning off the water. 

"Say that you're going to stop wasting your time." Francisco stated. "And that you will find something better to do."

 _"Stop wasting my time?!"_ Her voice retorted. Backing away, she readied herself to run downstairs to the shop. "You don't even let me do anything else in this tiny apartment. All I can do is close the store and sweep the dust. There's _nothing_ else to waste my time on."

"If you really want to waste your time, then take this!" A hand slammed on the table. Now, a short stack of money stood there. Without moving from her spot, Isabel furrowed her brow, eyes looking up at his elderly, face. At first, she twitched, but then her body relaxed. She slowly made her way to the table and took the money. 

"Er... thank you?" The teenager shuddered slightly. 

"Don't thank me." He said, going the stove and turning the burner on. "You _need_ to thank your mother. Just go somewhere else tonight. Do something."

"Fine." She said in a bitter voice. Going down the stairs, she made sure to put all of her weigh in each step. The old wood groaned, expressing her mood that evening.

Outside, the golden light was gone. Now, the sky was a grey lavender with a rosy sunset. In the distance, the pale moon could be seen in the blueish background. It was close to closing hours, but Isabel knew that she wouldn't be here to close the shop. Instead, she hiked up on her bike and started to pedal.

Usually, she never went out during this time. Instead, she would be in her room to relax. With the cool night air, and sounds of loud traffic and shouts of random strangers. Those were the real "quiet hours." Then, she would drift into a slumber with a thin blanket. But not tonight, she had a wallet of cash that her mom wanted her to spend. 

Isabel was not the type to be materialistic. However, she knew that this kind of money could be used to go out and have fun. There weren't really any stores that interested her. They were filled with tacky items and brand name candy. Although, an idea popped into her mind as she turned towards the setting sun's direction.

Skidding her bike to a stop, she wheeled it towards the bike rack. Locking it up, she took a moment to gaze at the sky. Right now, it felt _different_.

Standing up, she began to walk through the automatic doors of the drugstore. A rush of air blew before she found herself in the air-conditioned store. There were some people there, waiting at the cash register or wandering the aisles to check out various products. Instead of browsing through the wondrous items on the shelves, she headed to where the ice cream was at. There, she asked for a scoop on a cone and went to pay at the register.

Waiting in line, she observed the many faces of familiar grown-ups looking bored or unamused. Meanwhile, the kids would jump up and down for sweets and ice cream. Other people her age were getting cheap beauty supplies or grabbing bags of chips. However, she noticed another person around her age.

It was his hair that stood out from almost everyone. A lot of hair gel was used to style it upwards. And the color of his hair was dyed a bright, scarlet red. The saturation of his hair color contrasted with his black leather jacket. One part of Isabel found this amusing. The other part wanted to insult him for wearing such a color during the summer. Her eyes read him as a show-off.

He stood in front of her, paying for an energy drink with neon colors. Honestly, she wasn't surprised at his taste either. Either way, it was fun to observe him from the outside. That's what everyone does. Make stories from strangers that stand out to them. Only to never know who that stranger was.

After he finished dumping a bunch of quarters on the counter, they were counted. Finally, he started to make his way out. It would the last time she saw him. Returning her attention to the cashier, she paid two dollars for the ice cream. Now, it was her turn to leave and never be seen again. 

At least, that's what she thought. Outside, the sky had darkened and her hand immediately tossed the ice cream away. Clenching her fists, she narrowed dark eyes at the redhead stranger near her bike. His frantic hands were smothered all over the lock. Rushing forward, she lunged for a jump kick that hit him on the side. Tumbling on the ground, he rolled over with a hand pressing against himself.

"What the hell?!" He screamed at her.

"Maybe you shouldn't try to steal someone's bike. _Especially mine._ " She grunted, throwing a leg over her bike.

"Steal your bike?" He blinks in confusion. Then, he shook his head quickly. "Hey! I saw someone trying to break the lock earlier! I was just trying to fix it until _the owner_ came for it."

She could have sped off, but she wondered whether or not he was telling the truth. Not to mention, he was lying on the ground in pain. So, she might as well listen to his side of the story. Peering down, she saw that the lock was cut. Seeing that the other teenager didn't have any tools on him, she quietly got off her bike.

Walking towards him, she hoisted him up to lean on the bike rack. "Well, you were just down there and I thought... Sorry about that." 

"Well, your welcome." He took his hand off his side, folding both arms.

"No really, I mean it." Isabel said. "It's awful to see someone stealing your bike out in the open. And well... I took action."

"Nah, relax. I'm used to the feeling of _both_ pain and getting my ride stolen a couple of times." He brushed himself off, then grunted as he walked. “But that kick you did really did some damage. Can you like teach me how to do that?”

“It’s just instinct.” She shrugged, getting a better look at him. She could now see his face and remember it. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just have to hop on one leg to my ride.” He joked and a smile appeared on her face. He turned to look at her. “Aren’t you going to leave and get a new lock?” 

“Well, yeah…” She rubbed the back of her neck, trailing off. “I’m just wondering where to go right now.”

“You a wanderer or something?” He raised an eyebrow, now curious.  

“Maybe.” She dragged her bike towards the direction he was going in. “I don’t go out as much as I used to.”

“You open to any suggestions?” He asked and she rolled her eyes.

“Fire away,” Isabel smirked.

“We could go to the bowling alley,” He looked up at the sky. The other teenager paused for a moment. 

“Wait, there’s a bowling alley around here?” She asked dryly. “What do you mean by _‘we?’_ Because I don’t know your name.” 

“Yeah, it’s not too far.” He turned to face her. “...And by _‘we,’_ I mean that my name’s Johnny.”

 


End file.
